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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kid · toast · shower · spell · bowl · scale · rest · bulb

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. rest — what's left
  5. kid — to tease
  6. bulb — for light
  7. rest — a break
  8. shower — rain
  9. kid — child
  10. toast — bread
  11. scale — size or range
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bulb — for light
  15. spell — magic
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. scale — in music
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. shower — to wash
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. spell — letters
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. spell — a short time
  24. bowl — a football final

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com